On Young Buck's solo debut Straight Outta Ca$hville, he exploded with "Let Me In." It was a defiant cry to anyone who stood in his way, and Young Buck was unabashedly gangster and confrontational. New to the rap game and a prodigy of the G-Unit crew - but strangely an outcast due to his Southern style - Buck showed up with guns blazing. He threw everything he had into the album and it showed. Ca$hville displayed an incredible blend of hardcore street rap and infectious choruses.

After the radio-shunned and ultimately ignored follow-up T.I.P., Buck is finally back to reclaim his throne. Unfortunately, it's a bit out of reach. He lifted the crown too high - even for himself.

Buck the World is a collection of songs that are simply too ambitious. Recruiting everyone from Talib Kweli's former cohort Hi-Tek to the notorious Lil' Jon, Buck tries to do too much with no room left to breathe. The album sounds as if he employed everyone he knew and attempted to fit to their molds rather than stick to the bold vitriol of his first album.

Where the album truly flounders is in the all-too-frequent mellow jams. Most rappers use these as throwaway tracks, but with 17 cuts on the album, most of which are melodramatic introspective pieces, Buck the World becomes quickly forgettable. The album's first single "I Know You Want Me" hung ominously in the radiowaves before the album dropped. Jazze Pha's ear-gratingly obnoxious voice consumes the track as Young Back falls to the background.

The title track featuring R&B crooner Lyfe and "Slow Ya Roll" starring Chester Bennington of Linkin Park (when did rappers agree that Linkin Park was legitimate?) are particularly telling of the problems with the album. Their monotonous and tepid rhymes are something you'd expect from the most recent Jay-Z incarnation, but not the violently aggressive Young Buck.

Buck the World isn't all disposable, though, because when Young Buck hits, he hits hard. Case in point: the monolithic "Get Buck." Unquestionably the best single of the year thus far, its angelic choir, squealing keyboards and plodding tubas create a colossal backdrop for Buck's cocky swagger. "Pocket Full of Paper" is similarly massive. Teaming with Young Jeezy for a verse, the rat-a-tat of the hi-hat and soaring electronics pump the southern style Buck's become known for.

It's not until the Eminem-produced closer "Lose My Mind" that Young Buck lets everyone know what he's about. Em's signature minor-key piano creeps along as Buck literally screams his rhymes in sheer anger. And letting everyone know he's not done, Buck closes the album shouting, "You motherfuckers don't know me . yet."

But it's really the singles that do it. If "I Know You Want Me" is the drunken uncle everyone is hoping won't show up, "Get Buck" is the grandpa with all the great stories. As Young Buck opens the latter singing, "OK, I'm reloaded," we know he's not done. "Let Me In" was his introduction and "Get Buck" his triumphant return. It seems he knows that there's still a lot more to be done. If he can sift through radio-friendly smooth jams and get back to the dirty South, Young Buck can easily get past Buck the World and back to what he does best.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars